Cool for the Summer

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It’s almost summer! Are you sweating it yet? We just updated our guide to portable air conditioners if you’re looking for something for a room that can’t fit a cheaper window unit. Just remember that all of these units require a place to put the exhaust hose for piping heat out. For this update we did a new round of testing in April in Los Angeles. Besides how well it cools, we’ve found that one of the most important things to measure for real-life use is how loud the air conditioner is. We measured the sound levels for each, and our pick, the LG LP1419IVSM, operates at 56 decibels from 5 feet away with the compressor on, making it the quietest model we tested. It can also work with Google Home and Amazon Alexa—no more digging around for a lost remote control.

Every year at this time we see people searching for fans and air conditioners; by July we often have to revisit our guides because our picks are out of stock. Do yourself a favor and put your unit in the window to see if it’s still working after having spent most of the year in storage. If it’s busted, buy your replacement early if you’re considering it.

I’m a big fan of window fans and own our pick, the Bionaire Twin Reversible Airflow Window Fan, which can vent hot or smelly air out or switch directions to draw cool air in. These fans are especially useful in the kitchen if you’re prone to smoking the place up with high-heat cooking (as I am). Besides fans and ACs, we have a list with other things you can do to help deal with the heat.

If you can’t stand overheating under a down comforter, now’s also a good time to invest in a lightweight blanket. I use cotton matelasse (think thin quilt) in the summer but when the weather gets really hot, I prefer just a good linen sheet to wick moisture away at night. Our pick, the Cultiver Linen Sheet, can be purchased individually or in a set. If you’re a sateen fan, you might not immediately take to the almost scratchy texture of linen, but give it a little time—there’s something about the lack of pliability of linen that makes it feel like it’s floating airily above the bed.

Now would be a good time to switch to a smart thermostat, too, if you haven’t already. In the smart-device world, there are few things more satisfying than being able to turn the temperature down without getting out of bed. We like the Nest Thermostat E, though we’re also going to be testing a few more models this year: the Hive Thermostat, the Honeywell T9, and the Johnson Controls Glas for use with Microsoft’s smart voice assistant, Cortana.

New this week

List: How to Beat the Summer Heat at Home
Published May 6

The Best Action Camera
Updated May 6

How to Buy Baby Gear Like an Economist: A Q&A With Author Emily Oster
Published May 6

The Best Slide-In Gas Ranges
Published May 7

What’s a Balance Transfer? (And How You Can Use One to Buckle Down on Debt)
Published May 7

11 Great Ideas to Declutter Your Home’s Small Entryway
Published May 7

Do Your Headphones Lack Bass? It Could Be the Fit
Published May 7

The Best Slide-In Electric Ranges
Published May 8

The Best Computer Speakers
Updated May 8

How to Shop for a Mechanical Keyboard
Published May 8

The Best Toiletry Bags
Updated May 9

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Review: The Cash-Back Card for Families and (Now) Millennials
Published May 9

A Regular Wi-Fi Router Was As Good As Mesh in This 2,300 sq. ft. House
Published May 9

The Best Electronic Cutting Machines From Cricut and Silhouette
Updated May 10

The Best Fanny Packs
Published May 10

Dog Poop, Dirty Rugs, and Other Disappointing Truths About Robot Vacuums
Published May 10

Things we’ve been enjoying lately

Some good listening, watching, and reading you may like

How a decades-old hippie soap brand became a touchstone of wellness culture [Vox]

“If you receive an out-of-office email notification from me, know that I have booked the Magic Foam Experience.”

—Tracy Vence, editor

Watch: Versailles [Netflix]

“Netflix has finally added the third and final season of the glamorous Versailles, a Canal+ series about the tyrannical King Louis XIV. Come for the drama, stay for all of the hair.”

—Rozette Rago, photo editor

Coding Is for Everyone—As Long As You Speak English [Wired]

“This is a fascinating look at the linguistic foundations of computer programming languages across the globe. (Spoiler: computers don’t actually know English, but we can teach them Pikachu.)”

—Thom Dunn, associate staff writer